%A Melissa Buckshire
%T An Overview of Carbon Fiber Electrodes Used in Neurochemical Monitoring
%X Neurochemistry has always been a topic that many scientists are interested in researching because the brain is such a fascinating and complex organ. Electrochemical methods have proven to be a successful tool for scientists to use for their brain-researching endeavors. Many types of probes and analytical devices have been invented and used in conjunction with electrochemical methods over the past several decades to investigate the inner workings of the brain. In particular, the carbon fiber electrode has become a popular device among scientists due to its favorable qualities.The carbon fiber electrode has several unique characteristics to give it an advantage over other techniques. Carbon fiber electrodes have the ability to monitor in a subsecond time frame and record in real time. Because they are so small, carbon fiber electrodes are also able to sample very small environments, such as a single cell or vesicular volumes, where other devices cannot because they are too big. Evidence has shown that carbon fiber electrodes appear to cause less disruptive tissue damage when implanted into a brain than other devices, for instance a microdialysis probe. On top of that, carbon fiber electrodes are also excellent devices for those seeking greater sensitivity and selectivity by making electrode modifications tailored for the analyte of interest. In addition, carbon fiber electrodes provide a wider range of detectable species, again by simply making slight modifications. One can clearly see that the future for neurochemical monitoring lies heavily in the hands of the carbon fiber electrode. Its advantages over other devices make it superior in many aspects. Researchers will no doubt continue to use the carbon fiber electrode and keep improving it to make it suitable for countless more experiments.
%D 2008
%K biosensors; principles of electrochemistry; voltammetry
%I University of Pittsburgh
%L pittir8165